Support for railway-car-brake connectors.



e. 3. KELLY 2 6, FL BUYER. SUPPORT FOR RAILWAY GAB BRAKE CONNECTORS.

APPLIOA I IOB FILED JUNE 14, 1907.

Patented 0015. 19, 1909.

2 exams-41mm 1.

G. E. KELLY & F. ROYER. SUPPORT FOR RAILWAY GAR BRAKE CONNECTORS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1907. r 937 534. v Patented Oct. 19, 1909 2 SHEETS-$33121 2 NET sins arana caries.

iEGR-GE E. KELLY AND GEORGE F. BUYER, 0F W'ILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE KELLYLARNOLD MANUFACTURING 00., OF WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OE PENNSYLVANIA.

SUPPORT FOR RAILWAY-CAR-BRAKE CON NECTOBS.

ems.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patent-ed Get. 19, 1909.

Application filed June 14, 1907. Serial No. 379,015.

'- and has for its object to provide a constructionby which the connector will not be dis engaged from the car or broken in case the draft coupling of the car to which the connector is secured is drawn from its support on the car.

it is customary to suspend the brake connet'torfrom thestem of the draft coupling ota raitway fear, or in some other manner to support the connector from? said coupling;

The draft coupling is frequently pulled or drawn from its support on the car, and in case the connector is rigidly attached thereto, it is broken, thus increasing the expense andtime incident to again placing the car in condition for use.

It is of course desirable that the connector be'so related to thecoupler as to move in unison therewith, and the object of the present dBVBDfiOIl is to provide such a connection tween the-draft coupler and the brake conmeetur that when the coupler is properly suported on the car they will move together, at in case the coupler is pulled or drawn from its support the connector will be automatically disengaged from the coupler and the movement of the latter from the car will not damage the-connector or the brake system. Y

.The invention is illustrated in the panying drawings, in which:

Figure -1 is a side elevation, partly in secaccomtiw, of a portion of a railway car having fieferrin to the drawings, 1 designates a longitudina sill of the frame of a-railway can-and 2 a cross beam of such frame. The draft coupler is supported from said cross beam bye hanger '3. which surrounds the stem 4 of said coupler, or in any-other suitable manncr.

It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to use with draft couplers of any particular style, and there fore in the drawings said coupler and the means connecting it with and supporting it from the car are illustrated more or less con ventionally.

The brake connector 5 is, as usual, arranged below the draft coupler and is supported therefrom by means to be hereinafter described.

While the invention may be embodied with brake connectors of various styles, the one shown in the accompanying drawing is similar to that described in our prior applications, Serial Nos. 852,644; and 357,258. The stem of said connector is supported b a cross rod 6 carried by arms 7 and exten ing through a slot 8 in said stem, and also by chains 9 extending from eyes on said stem to hooks 10 formed at the outer ends of levers 11, which are fulcrumed at 12 upon said arms 7. The arms 7 are rigidly secured to cars 13 depending from a plate l l which forms the lower member of a stirruplike hanger, the other members 15 of which extend across opposite sides of the stem of the draft coupler ahd to points above such stem. As shown the members 15 are formed separately from the plate 14, and have their lower ends connected therewith by suitable nuts 16. Adjacent their upper ends the members 15 of said stirrup hanger are bent inwardly toward each other to extend slightly over the upper surface of the stem of the draft coupler sufiiciently to obtain a bearing thereon. Normally the ends of said members 15 extend through slots 17 formed in a plate 18 and opening through one edgeor face thereof, the upper ends of said rods being preferably bent outwardly to overhang the up or surface of said plate somewhat, as shown. The plate 18 is provided at its forward end with a tapering portion 19, terminating in an upturned flange or rim 20, and has on its lower face a depending web. or lug 21 adapted to rest upon the stem of the draft coupler. By this connection the hanger for the brake connector is supported on the .draft coupler and held from moving vertically relative thereto, and the plate 14 y of said hanger is preferably provided with a teat or projection 22 that enters a suitable seat in the lower surface of the stem of the plate being connected with the-member 1t),

. of the plate 18 by "a cotter pin 25 andextending across the openends of the slots 17.

During the ordinary movements of the draft coupling the connector will move there' with asabove stated. If, however, the said coupler be subjected to a sudden and severe pull which is sufficient to disengage it from its support on the car, the forward end 20 of the plate 18 will come into contact with the beam 2 and the plate 24 will be struck by the members 15 of the connector supporting hanger with such force as'to shear off the pin 25, thus releasing the late. As the draft coupler is drawn from its support the plate 18 will be moved from engagement with said hanger members 15 and the'latter will be positively separated by the tapered portion 19 of said plate, and thereby the said hanger and the connector supported thereb will be released and allowed to fall from t e draft coupler. To limit the down- -ward movement of the connector when thus released from thedraft coupler, an auxiliary f support, shown as consisting of chains-26,

is arranged between the car frame and the levers 11 ofthe connector support. This auxiliary support normally does not support the connector and is of such length as to,

permit free movementthereof to accommo date itself to the vibrations of the car, and. changes inthedirectionof movement thereof, etc. q The levers 11, by which the relationof the connector 5 to its supporting arms 7 is controlled,.are adapted to be adjusted by means of screws 27; working between the rear ends of said levers and suitable abutments 28 on the aforesaid cars 13 ofthe plate 14. By adjusting said screws the connector can. be bodily .moved about the axis ofthe cross bar 6 and held at any desired elevation.

Having thus describedthe invei'fis'on, what .is claimed and desirecl'to be secured by Letters Patent is- 1. In a railway car, the combination with a. draft coupler supported by. the ear, and a brake conneptoryof a hanger secured to the connector and' normally extending about the -=draw bar of thecoupler and adapted to be jautomatically disengaged from the coupler i car t 2. In a railway car, the combination with.

if th'elatter is drawn from its support on the a draft coupler supported by the car, and a brake connector, of a hanger secured to the connector and having its members extenda-draft coupler supported by the car, and a brake connector, of a" support for the connector comprising a hanger adapted to ex-' tend beneath and across oppositesides of the stem of the couplerfa plate supported onthe-coupler stem and having slots adapt-' ed toreceive the members of the hanger, and means for holding said plate in engagement with the hanger and adapted to be automatically shifted to release the hanger and connector from the coupler if the latter is drawn from its support on the car.

4. In a rail-way car, the combination with a draft coupler supported by the car, and a brake connector, of a hanger attached to the connector and normally extending about the draw bar .of the coupler, means for automatically disengaging said hanger from the coupler if the latter is drawn from its support on the car, and auxiliary means for supporting the connector from the car when thus disengaged from the coupler.

5. In a railway car, the. combination with a draft coupler supported by the car, and a brake connector; of 'a U-shapedhanger at tached to the connector and having its membersnornially extending across the sides of the draw bar of the coupler, means connecting the members of said hanger above the draw bar of the coupler and adapted to be automatically disengaged therefrom if the coupler is drawn from its support on the car, andauxiliary means for supportmg the innect'or from.the car when thus d1sengaged from the coupler.

6. In a railway car, the combination with i a brake eonnector, of a support .comprising two arms with which the body of the connector is pivotally connected," fevers fulcrumed on said arms and connected at one end with the connector, and adjusting screws arranged between abutments'on the support and the other arms of said levers.

7. In a' railway car, the combination with adra'ft coupler'supported by the car, and a brake connector, of a hanger secured to the connector and having its members extending across opposite sides of the stem of thecoupler, said members being bent inwardly above said stem to engage the upper surface thereof, means connecting the upper ends of the members of the hanger and adapted to be automatically disengaged therefrom if the coupler is drawn from its support on the car, and means for positively separating the members of the hanger as they are thus released.

8. In a railway car, the combination with a draft coupler supported by the car, and a brake connector, of a hanger secured to the connector and having its members extending across opposite sides of the stem of the coupler, said members being bent inwardly above said stem to engage the upper surface thereof, and a plate supported above the stem of the draft coupler and having in its forward edge slots adapted to receive the upper ends of said vertical members of the hanger, said plate being rejected forward between said slots and a apted to come in contact with a portion of the car frame when the draft coupler is drawn from its support on. the car, whereby said hanger members will be released from said plate.

9. In a railway car, the combination with a draft coupler supported by the car, and a brake connector, of a hanger secured to the connector and having its members extending across oppositesides of the stem of the coupler, said members being bent inwardly above said stem to engage the upper surface thereof, a plate supported above the stem of the draft coupler and having in its forward edge slots adapted to receive the upper ends of said vertical members of the hanger, said plate being projected forward between said slots and adapted to come in contact with a portion of the car frame when the draft coupler; is drawn from its support on the car, whereby said hanger-members will be released from said plate, a supplemental plate connected with said slotted plate by a connection vadaptedtto bebroken when the latter contacts with the car frame, said supplement-a1 plate extending normally across.

said slots, and means for positively separating the yei'tical members of said connector hanger as they pass from said slots.

In testimony whereof we aiiix our signatures i1i presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. KELLY. GEORGE F. ROYER. Witnesses:

JOHN J. ODoNNnLL, EDWARD N. Now. 

